Apparatus for felting.



No. 763,273. PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904. T. B. FLAVELL & G. W. DYKMAN.

APPARATUS FOR PELTING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

No. 768,273. PATBNTED JUNE 21, 1904. '1. B. FLAVBLL & G. W. DYKMAN.

APPARATUS FOR FELTING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 763,273. PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904. T. B. PLAVELL & G. W. DYKMAN.

v APPARATUS FUR FELTING.

APPLICATION FILED 'NOV. 18, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES iatnted .Tune 21, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS B. FLAVELL AND GEORGE W. DYKMAN, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR FELTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,273, dated June 21,1904.

Application filed November 18, 1902. Serial No. 131,806. (No model.)

To (LU whom it may concern.-

have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Felting, of whichthe following is a specification.

ln felting processes, and particularly in the sizing of felt hats,the'fabric is repeatedly dipped in hot water, folded, and squeezedbetween rapidly -"revolving sizing-rollers. The end achieved by thisprocess is the compacting of the soft loose fibersand the contracting ofthe whole fabric as it gains in strength and body. The fibers used forhat-making before being subjected to the sizing-rollers are treated in awell-known manner to give them life and topromote felting. It is ofcourse very desirable that the fibers should in the course of treatmentbecome as intimately andinextricably matted and tangled together aspossible, and it is to promote this end that the first treatment towhich they are subjected, as above mentioned, is resorted to.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide meansforpromoting the prompt and eificient intermingling of the fibers duringthe sizing proeess, and the preferred means employed are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view of asizing-machine of a well-known form. Fig. 2 is a front view of the upperpart of the same with the present invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the same on the plane a Z) of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is anenlarged sectional view of our preferred roller on the plane 0 (Z inFig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a means for raising the toproller,

the roller-shafts being shown without the rollers.

The side frames 1 support the front shelf or table 2 and the pivotedtreadle 3. the latter acting in a well-known manner for lifting theupper roll of the machine when the material to be felted is to beinserted between the. rollers. The gears 5 and sprocket-chain 6cooperate in a well-known manner to drive all three rollers in the samedirection and are driven by the pulley 7 or otherwise. The two lowerrolls 8 are placed side by side, and all three rollers are provided withprojecting ridges 9 in the usual manner; but at one or both ends therollers in this improved machine are left smooth. (See Fig. 2.) It willalso be well to reduce the diameter of the rolls where left smooth tolessen the danger of short circuits. The entire surface of two or moreof the rollers is preferably covered with a layer lO'of metal, and uponthe smooth ends of the rollers so covered conducting-brushes 11 and 12are made to bear in the manner familiar in the collector-brushes ofalternatingcurrent dynamos. These brushes are respectively connected tothe terminals of a generator 13, which may produce either direct oralternating current. It is preferred to arrange one of the brushes, as11, so as to bear on the under surface of the upper or movable roller.By use of this arrangement when this roller is lifted the circuit isbroken and is made again only when the rollers assume operative positionwhile at work.

Fig. 5 shows in detail the treadle 3 applied to the lifting of slidingcarriers 14 just inside of the outer supports of the machine. In thesecarriers the driving-gears 5, which are placed one over the other, havetheir bearing on both sides of the machine, so that both of said gearsare raised together when the outer end of the treadle 3 is presseddownward. By this expedient the raising of the shaft of the roll 4: isnot impeded by the chain 6, since said chain is relaxed below as fast asit is taken up above by virtue of the movement of the gears. This formof driving-gear and apparatus for lifting the gears is old and wellknown in the art and forms no part of our present invention.

The body of the rollers is made of wood or other insulating material, asis common in this art. WVhen so made, there can be no short circuitbetween the rollers through the pivots. If the rollers are made entirelyof metal, any well-known means may be used to prevent passage of currentthrough the pivots from one roller to another. As no very high potentialwill probably be used, no high degree of insulation is required.

It is obvious that, the material being wet, a considerable current ofelectricity will be made to pass through it during the sizing processwithout too high a potential between the wires. This current, combinedwith the rapid movement of the material between the revolving rollers,will produce a mutual agitation among the fibers, which beingsimultaneous with the compression exercised by the machine will insure arapid felting and contraction of the fabric. The agitation of individualfibers, which obviously promotes their interlacing under pressure,results from the fact that as the hat revolves the various groups offibers are carried rapidly across or through the path of current betweenrollers. Every time any group of fibers enters the area of current-flowthe electrified individual fibers exercise a momentary mutual repulsion.On leaving the path of current the momentary minute separation caused bythis repulsion is followed by a contrary movement together, caused bythe continual pressure of the rollers. Thus the effect of an alternatingcurrentis produced within the felting machinery whether direct oralternating current be used, and the fibers sufi'er simultaneousintimate agitation and pressure.

In some forms of felting and sizing machines two rollers are used alone.In such a case both are to be covered with metal and a brush-terminalapplied to each. Our invention is not confined to the use of anyparticular number of rollers and, indeed, covers the use of the electriccurrent passing through the material when and while subjected to any twoor more cooperating felting agents.

\Nhat we claim is 1. In a felting-machine, two cooperating compressionmembers and means for causing a difference of electrical potentialbetween said members.

2. In a felting-machine, two cooperating compression members havingmetallic surfaces, a source of electricity and connections between thetwo terminals of said source and said two compression meansrespectively.

3. In a felting-machine, two rollers, means for revolving the same, agenerator of electricity and connecting-conductors from the twoterminals of said generator to said two rollers respectively.

4. In a felting-machine, two rollers, means for revolving the same, ametallic covering on said rollers, a generator of electricity andconductors connecting the two terminals of said generator with said tworollers respectively.

5. In a felting-machine, two rollers in a horizontal plane and a thirdroller above and between the lower two and conducting parts on two ofsaid rollers; in combination with a separate brush bearing on each oftwo of said rollers, an electric generator and conductors from theterminals of said generator and said brushes.

6. In a felting-machine, two rollers, means for revolving them, meansfor lifting one away from the other, contact brushes bearing againstsaid rollers, an electric generator and conductors connecting saidgenerator with said two brushes.

'7. In a felting-machine, two rollers covered with metal,contact-brushes against the surfaces thereof, means for moving oneroller away from the other and from its contactbrush, an electricgenerator and conductors joining said generator with said brushes.

8. In a felting-machine, two rollers covered with metal and havingprojecting ridges along a part of their peripheries and having anotherpart on each roller smooth, brushes bearing against the smooth portionsof said rollers, means for moving one roller away from the other andfrom its brush, an electric generator and conductors joining saidgenerator electrically with said brushes.

THOMAS B. FLAVELL. GEORGE W. DYKMAN.

W itnesses:

MINNIE E. Onor'r, THoMAs W. IVERS.

